This is the third big success in the past fortnight for security forces pushing relentlessly against the Maoists with the aim of ending the menace by March 2026.
Terror outfits in Jammu and Kashmir are now constructing elaborately-designed underground bunkers deep inside thick forests and elevated ridges instead of taking shelter in local houses, officials said. This tactical shift, fuelled by eroding local support, presents a new challenge to the Army and other security forces.
Four Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region. A head constable of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) was also killed in the face-off.
When I asked UAE Skipper Muhammad Waseem why his team did not appeal for a walkover, he said his team had come to play, and that they had decided to wait as per the request from the authorities. Would any Test-playing country have waited and remained sporting enough to sacrifice their opportunity to play in the knock-out stage?
The killings of Gopal Khemka and his son Gunjan, seven years apart, bear a striking resemblance, reports M I Khan.
The police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the area on Sunday to maintain law and order.
Ten Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Friday, a senior police official said. The gunfight broke out in the morning in a forest within the jurisdiction of the Bhejji police station when a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation. The operation was launched based on inputs about the presence of Maoists belonging to Konta and Kistaram area committees of Naxalites on forested hills of Korajguda, Dantespuram, Nagaram and Bhandarpadar villages. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai hailed security forces and said the era of peace and progress has returned to the Bastar region, which includes Sukma.
The Supreme Court criticized the Punjab police for assaulting a Colonel over a parking dispute, highlighting the Army's service at the border and ordering a CBI probe.
Umesh Pal's family thanked Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the police.
The Maharaja Trophy, the state's top franchise-based T20 tournament, was also moved outside Bengaluru as police had rejected KSCA's proposal to host it behind closed doors. The tournament was played in Mysore behind closed doors.
With this, the number of Maoists killed in the gun battle with the security personnel on Friday has risen to 31, they said, adding that a search operation is still underway in the area.
Gufran, a resident of neighbouring Pratapgarh district, was injured in an exchange of fire with the Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force near Samda village in the Kaushambi district, Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Srivastava said.
Police in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, have filed an FIR against a Sikh man for allegedly posting pictures of himself with weapons on social media and expressing support for Khalistan. Gursewak Singh, a resident of Sirsa, Haryana, is accused of posting pro-Khalistan content on Facebook after three alleged Khalistan supporters were killed in an encounter in the area. Police are investigating the matter and have warned of strict action against those spreading inflammatory material online.
A cache of explosives and weapons was also seized from the encounter site, he added.
An SIT should be formed to probe the killing and the high court should monitor the investigation, the petition demanded.
The edge-of-the-seat action is interspersed with moments of intense, raw emotions of romance, trust and betrayal, and keeps you entertained and waiting for the next big reveal, observes Divya Nair.
A human rights group on Wednesday moved the Hyderabad High Court on the killing of 20 people by Andhra Pradesh police in Tirupati forests saying it was "murder and not an encounter" even as the HC asked the state police chief to file a report by April 10 on steps taken for autopsies of the bodies.
Maoists have admitted that 28 cadres, including their top leader Basavaraju, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region last week. The Naxals also claimed that some of their cadres had surrendered to police and provided information that led to the operation. Police have recovered a large cache of weapons, including an AK-47 looted by Basavaraju from security forces in a 2010 ambush.
Security agencies have gathered evidence, including Pakistani government documents and biometric data, confirming that the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack were Pakistani nationals.
'With tears in his eyes, he told me in Gujarati, "What have they done to this country? It has so much potential." That feeling for the country -- it was striking.'
The Supreme Court of India has criticized the Uttar Pradesh government for its "high-handed" demolition of homes in Prayagraj, ordering the reconstruction of the demolished structures. The court expressed concern over the manner in which notices were served and the swiftness of the demolition, stating that it "shocks our conscience." The court has allowed the reconstruction of the homes at the petitioners' expense, provided they file appeals and do not claim ownership of the land. The matter has been adjourned to allow the petitioners to file undertakings.
The CBI has taken over the investigation into the alleged assault of a colonel by Punjab Police personnel, registering two separate FIRs. The incident allegedly occurred at a roadside dhaba in Patiala.
Home Minister Amit Shah stated in the Rajya Sabha that the terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam attack were killed in Operation Mahadev. He also criticized the Congress party's stance on national security.
A commander of the banned CPI (Maoist) was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand's Palamu district. Another red rebel, carrying a bounty of Rs 15 lakh, was injured in the encounter. Several weapons, including a self-loading rifle, were recovered during the search operation following the gunfight.
The proscribed ULFA(I) claimed drone and missile attacks on its camps along the Myanmar border by the Indian Army, resulting in casualties. The Indian Army has not confirmed the incident. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma denied state police involvement.
Eight Naxalites and a jawan of the Special Task Force (STF) were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district on Saturday, police said.
The encounter broke out when a joint search party of the army and police launched a search operation, based on a specific intelligence, in remote Bihali area of Basantgarh in the district this morning. Reinforcements have been rushed in and a massive search operation is going on despite bad weather.
Six terrorists were killed and two soldiers laid down their lives in twin encounters in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, officials said on Sunday.
The BJP has accused the Congress party of fabricating the theory of 'Hindu terror' to undermine Narendra Modi and appease Muslim voters. This statement follows the acquittal of seven individuals in the Malegaon blast case. The BJP demands compensation for the acquitted and an apology from the prosecution.
The search operation turned into an encounter after the terrorists fired on a search party of the forces, who then fired back, the official said.
In a separate incident, a commando of the Central Reserve Police Force's jungle warfare unit CoBRA was injured when a pressure improvised explosive device (IED), planted by Naxalites went off in the district, police said.
Killings in police encounters affect the credibility of rule of law and the administration of criminal justice system, the Supreme Court had said in a 2014 judgment while issuing a slew of guidelines to be followed in matters of investigating police encounters which have led to death or grievous injury.
Osama Nazir, chief of the Harkatul Mujahideen, had taken part in militant attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in the past.
An Army captain lost his life while four terrorists are believed to have been killed in an ongoing operation in the higher reaches of Jammu region's Doda district on Wednesday, officials said.
Altogether seven firearms have been recovered from the encounter site, he said.
There were wounds and bruises on the bodies, including in private parts, of the three youths who were killed in an alleged encounter with Assam Police in Cachar district last month, according to post-mortem and inquest reports.
Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, the powerful general secretary of Communist Party of India-Maoist killed in an encounter along with 26 others on Wednesday, had masterminded several major attacks on security forces in Chhattisgarh and his death is a big blow to the armed movement, said officials.
According to Khemka's family members, his son was also shot dead by criminals six years ago in Hajipur.
Bharatiya Janata Party's Babina MLA Rajeev Singh on Thursday clarified his stand on the May 19 incident aboard the Vande Bharat Express, stating that a 'misunderstanding' with fellow passengers escalated unnecessarily and that the altercation by his supporters in Jhansi was 'unfortunate and unintended'.
The gunfight broke out when a joint security party of the Army and police, acting on a tip-off, launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Naidgham area in the Chhatroo belt, they added.
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